Just returned from Luperon Beach Resort - stayed for 17 nights April 27-May 14.

Had an absoluterly wonderful time - its a lovely resort, full of flowers, beautiful birds, a fantastic beach.

The only downside is the rooms are in need of a bit of refurbishment but the friendly staff and good food and drink more than make up for it.

The animacion team are fantastic - especially Felix who goes out of his way to make you feel welcome.

To get the most out of this holiday I would recommend that you get involved in the games and get to know the animacion staff - they really are a fantastic team. The shows they put on at night are extremely good and very entertaining.

We were very sad to leave and it was very hard to say goodbye to the animacion team.

Date of Travel: April 13 - 27, 2007
Tour Company: Nolitours
Ages: 37, 39, 11, 7

We're from London, Ontario, and had read all the reviews before we left, so we went with an open mind, simply wanting warm weather and a beach. We got such a great deal, we were surprised at how nice the trip actually was.

We took Air Transat, which was fantastic in comparison to most airlines. We paid the extra fee to be able to choose our seats. It was well worth it, because we got to sit together, and we were close to the washrooms (kids have smaller bladders), and the TV's. Food was included on the flight, as were non-alcoholic beverages. Earphones for the radio and TV were only $1.

There is an hour and a half bus ride from the Puerto Plata airport to Luperon Beach Resort. Look at it as a way to see the countryside. The busdrivers are scary, but friendly, and it was actually a fun ride (kind of like taking a roller coaster). The mountains are beautiful, and the people are very friendly and wave as you drive by. You also get to see how the people live when not on the resort. Busride is included in the Nolitours package.

The resort itself is a lot nicer than we expected. We had asked for an oceanview room, but were upgraded to a junior suite with an ocean view. It was fantastic, there was a triple-wide patio door leading to a beautiful deck, a king-sized bed, a big bathroom with a soaker tub. There was also a "sitting" room with a roll-out couch, which we used for the kids. We had electricity, hot water, working air conditioning, great water pressure, and our room was clean. Our TV also worked. From many of the reviews I read, I wasn't quite sure what to expect as there was a vast difference of opinion.

The food was great, there was lots of variety. We ate mostly at MichaelAngelo's (the Buffet) and the beach snack bar. We didn't bother signing up for the a la carte restaurants as were happy with the buffet. The snack bar on the beach had thin crust wood-oven baked pizza, hot dogs, hamburgers, fried chicken, and pasta. We didn't much care for the burgers or hotdogs, but everything else was tasty. The bars served great "Bahama Mamas" and "Pina Colada's". We are all very picky, and still had lots to choose from that we enjoyed. No one was sick even for a day.

Things to point out:

• Bring American money and get lots of it broken into $1's and $5's for tipping. You run through it quickly when you tip the maid, the Entertainment team, the bartenders, the servers, the busdrivers, the bell boys, etc. You don't have to tip them, but they give such great service, you may find that you really want to, I did. I found it really hard to get small bills once I was down there. Also, they prefer American to Canadian, so bring more rather than less, the exchange rate is much higher when you have to convert from Cdn to American down there.
• The travel agents and front desk advise you to change some currency to Dominican pesos for the gift shops, beauty shop, etc. DON'T!! No one wants the local currency, they all want American and will give you better deals for it. Even the gift shops and the beauty shop want American. Plus, you can't switch the pesos back when you go to leave.
• Beach Vendors have awesome wears. Just wait a few days before you buy anything, so you can see what others paid. I bought 6 necklaces the first day for $40 American and thought I got a great deal, only to find out later that another lady on the resort bought 3 for $10. In other words, she paid 1/2. You can buy a box of cigars and 2 bottles of rum for $40 American, which is an excellent deal. Again, the first time I bought them, I paid $60, and then went back to get more 2 days later and paid $20 less. If you buy the cigars, go for the Monte Christo's, they are worth a lot more. Buy souvenirs, cigars and cigarettes from the street vendors or in Luperon, the duty free at the airport is way more expensive, as are the gift shops at the resort.
• If you plan to fish, bring your own rods with you, they are incredibly expensive to buy when you're there (I had to rent 2 sad-shaped rods from a guy at the Marina for my kids for $20 American for 4 hours). The only other option was to take them out on the boat for almost $300 per person.
• See the shows at night, they're a lot of fun.
• If you bring kids, make sure you bring books, cards, or games for them to do in case of rain. There are not many English channels on TV (we counted 3), and these are mostly geared towards adult (one channel played Law & Order almost all day which was great for my husband and I, but not the kids).
• Definitely bring water shoes to swim in the ocean. It's beautiful and we really enjoyed swimming, but there are lots of rocks and if you go snorkelling you can see that there are sea urchins everywhere.
• Make sure you do not bring back more than the allotted weight in luggage when returning to Canada as you have to pay $10 per kilo. We did not realize we were over, and had to pay $70 on the return flight, and most of the people who returned on the same flight had to pay extra, so be careful.
• Don't drink the tap water, use the water brought in my the maid as it's purified. If you run out, you can get more from the bar and the restaurant.
• Ice cubes were okay in our drinks, we all used them and no one was ill.

The activities were fun, we partook in the archery, horseback riding, tennis, table tennis, and pool volleyball. The only comment I have on the horseback riding, is that the horses are not well taken care of. They are very thin, dirty, and they have welts on their backsides from where the "guide" uses willowbranches to hit them. Some were raw and bleeding and we all felt really guilty riding them.

There are some really nice people who try to get you to go to the Timeshare presentation. In fact, they will hound you until you agree to go. We went just so they could get their commission, but actually found that we were interested, so we signed up. We saw the same presentation in Florida 3 years before for $18,000 that we were being offered for less than $3,000 here. Now, we are booking a cottage for 2 weeks in the summer in the Muskokas at 1/4 of the cost we would have normally paid, so it was worthwhile. Hint: Research RCI and Westland Vacation & Investment before you go to see if it's something you'd be interested in. The whole presentation was less than 1/2 an hour (if you ask Carlos to fast-track it). If you're not interested, tell them up front you know about it but don't have the $$$, that's the only way they'll leave you alone.

The people that worked at the resort were fantastic, and the entertainment team was truly the best. I appreciate the fact that they took the time to include my children and joke around with them. We went during the off-season when not many other kids were around, so getting attention from the staff made them feel welcome.

There were locals at the resort every weekend, and sometimes throughout the week, but for us, it was a bonus. We met some new people, they were very warm and friendly, and we now have some new friends. I did not find that the staff gave them preferential treatment, they may have spoken with them more, because they both speak the same language, but not from a service standpoint. I speak a little Spanish, and my husband's Italian, so we were able to muddle through the conversations with the locals. If you bring an English-Spanish dictionary, you're golden. My son speaks neither, but he made friends with a little guy from Santiago, DR and words didn't seem important to them. I hope you have as great a time as we did, it was a trip we'll remember fondly for a very long time.

My best friend and I (we're both ladies), have just returned from a one week all-inclusive stay at the Luperon Beach Resort (May 2007). We are both 29 years old and took this vacation as a "girls holiday." We were apprehenisve at first at how far away from the airport the resort was, but that only helped us to observe some of the local culture. Upon arrival at the resort we were greeted with friendly smiles and given a decent amount of information. I would advise you to ask for your lock box key upon check-in and also for an extra key. The keys become de-magnitized often.

Our room was not 5 star material, but defintiely clean enough and suited our purposes. It did not have a shower curtian and we foolishly thought that was Dominican culture, so never asked for one--it made showering interesting and a bit messy.

The food was ok, coffee tasted like mud, but we certainly got enough to eat and drink. The servers were pleasant as were most of the bartenders. Many of the employees spoke at least a little English, which was helpful. The beach was a bit rocky, but there were more than enough sandy places for swimming and the vendors were not too pushy.

We also went on the Paradise Island Tour--well worth the $100. It is a full day trip, but the guides will treat you right with the continuous drinks, foods, and sites were fabulous. We were very impressed with the cordination of the event.

As two single ladies, it was nice ot have entertainment and activities available to us. By far, the Animation Team, was our favorite!! We'd like to give BIG "aplauso" to Rafael, Elvin, Jochy, Moses, Grisella,...actually we loved all of them! The shows were fantastic and we both learned how to dance Domincan style.

We just returned after a great week from 4th to 11th April at Luperon, we stayed at this resort 4 years ago when they had the carribbean kitchen ceilidh and was impressed with the improvements. The room was freshly painted, there was lots of hot water and no plumbing problems. The bathrooms throughout the resort were very clean as was the beach and grounds.

The staff were just as friendly as they were 4 years ago, hard working and Felix on the entertainment team was a big hit!

We have stayed in 5 resorts in D.R., from 31/2* to 5* and dollar for dollar the value at Luperon is excellant.

Our travel time was April 1st-8th 2007. My boyfriend and I booked this vacation 2 days before leaving as a trip we were supposed to take was cancelled. Our requirements were all inclusive, including air, being somewhere hot, 3 stars or more, leaving on the date we already had booked off work, and for under $1200.

This was the least expensive 7 day vacation I could find anywhere ($1162.00 Canadian after taxes) May I say it was worth it and I spoke to no one who paid less than us. It had rained for 3 weeks before we went down but it only rained twice on our vacation. Now here are some points I would like to make.

If you don't want to be on a vacation where locals may be there do not book on a holiday in that country. For the last 2 days of our vacation it was Easter (in Dominican as well and apparently that is a bigger holiday then their Christmas) The Beach was packed with locals the last 2 days as all the beaches are public, the security was stacked up though and I didn't see a tiny bit of a problem, infact I think I have seen way more problems on a long weekend at Wasaga Beach in Ontario, or Grand Bend.

The vendors are all numbered and do not bug you if you just say no gracious no, and they're are not many of them.

The staff does serve the locals first (but what ever so it takes you 3 minutes to get a drink its still not like waiting in a college town bar for 1/2 an hour to get a drink and its all inclusive)

The water is puralized except out of the tap (but BRING IMMODIUM, something gave me the runs for a day and a half till some sweet woman we had met gave me some immodium)

Bring Water Shoes (there is alot of coral except in one place on the beach but the beach is HUGE so if you bring water shoes you dont have to be near anyone)

The people of Dominican only make about $120 US a month, so all inclusive or not please tip a bit. We tip our servers why should we not tip our servers in another country. We didn't tip on every drink we tipped on about one of 3, $1US. We also found some good servers and gave them $5/each when we felt necessary

Also nice to leave $1/US on each pillow or each bed for the cleaning ladies

Any presents are nice too as it is a poor country but you have to write down who they are for and an exact description. the staff are checked every day on their way in and out to make sure they havn't taken anything. I think we left about $80 in total for all our tips through out the week. They deserved it they work about 15hour days there

Bring suntanlotion Fool, I saw a guy with 3rd degree burns. There is an aloe tree out front if you get a little toasty but if you are prone to burns bring aloe stuff the stores are very expensive

Anything a vendor tries to sell you drop what you will pay down to 1/3 and work up from there. You can probably get about 3 or 4 neclaces for $15

Do not order a white russian (they are made with some I don't know buttermilk or cream, not the milk we are used too very grose)

The pools are awesome, the pool table sucks but its right beside the pool. If you like playing pool bring chalk it seems to go missing for days at a time. For that matter if you have your own cue, bring it)

The tennis courts are not lit at night ever (or we'rnt when we were there so if you like tennis wake up early, and bring lots of water the rackets are located in the excersize room)

We were in buiding 17th, in room 17319 top floor corner room. It was a good room, no leaks, clean, view of the pool and ocean as well as partial view of the night time enteraintment (loud until the disco closes though)

Rent a scooter its $5/hr and you can take it into town or just drive around You can walk to the marina its about 15 min from the resort and a nice walk Their beer is good "Presedante" its better in the bottle but then you have to buy it from the store but its only $4 for a BIG bottle so worth it if you are going to hang out in your room later. Put a few in the fridge.

Don't be an ass and put your stuff on a lounge chair near the pool and leave it there all day, we incountered this with someone and I told them to go read the sign. They told me that I stole their chair while they were at lunch and that they had gotten up early and put their stuff on the sign. Rediculus, just cause you pay to stay at the resort does not mean you own a chair everyone else is on vacation too, be courteous.

You have to be up at 7am at the Davinci buffet room to get a seat for the a la carte dinner. I was there at 7:18 one morning and all the spots were taken. Try to go to an a la carte dinner at least once though, its worth it.

The chicken is awesome slow cooked and seasoned like swiss chalet, pineapple and grapefruit also delicious. The breakfast buffet is good I suggest you get an omlet made cause they are freshest no matter what time you go.

Cigarettes are free at the bar 2 at a time but they are stale so I suggest buying some

The entertainment staff were funny, listen for someone who calls everyone Mr.Boombastic, and always says asta la vista baby, and ay baby, Mr.Lover Lover

My husband and I and our two children, ages 10 and 7, stayed at Luperon beach Resort in the middle of February. We left Canada with much trepidation after reading the reviews of the resort posted here. To our delight, the resort was beautiful! The grounds were well kept, the staff friendly and accommodating, the food much better than Cuba, and the rooms clean and spacious. Because we had our children with us, we requested an adjoining room. Unfortunately, none were available upon arrival. However, after several visits to the front desk for two days, Quintana, the desk manager, gave us two adjoining suites complete with jacuzzi tubs. Polite persistence pays in spades. The entertainment staff was a hoot and the pools and beach front well kept. If you are looking to snorkel you may be disappointed as the area in front of the resort contains only a few very small fish.

My advice is if you are looking for a five star resort and Canadian-style food, stay home. Luperon Beach Resort is a three plus star hotel and the prices reflect the quality. This is a lovely country, but it is a developing country none-the-less. Therefore, you can expect the Dominicans to serve you with a smile and offer you the best they have. You can't get what they don't have. We have traveled to many Caribbean countries and were pleasantly surprised with this resort.

We had a great time in March 2007- weather was perfect, a breeze blowing NE every day kept things from being too muggy.

The resort is being refurbished at present- our building # 14 was in so-so shape-it's next to be fixed up- but the AC worked and the view was good. Nothing fancy but adequate. We paid a bit extra for the "Superior" water-view room. Get a 3rd floor room if possible for the breeze and view. The fridge was handy. The beds are firm and very comfortable.

The resort is well laid out- lots of quiet places to get away with a book.

Food was fine, nothing fancy. Booze wads as expected-the Coco Locos , Luperon Specials and Banana Daiquiris are worth the price of admission.

There are plans to dredge more of the coral from the west end of the beach, where we swam to avoid the crowd at the roped-off beach on the eastern end. Some topless bathing, a few locals hanging about -no problems with either. The sand is smooth, and we know our sand- we're from PEI...

Most people hung around the pools and bars all day- lots to do at the activity bar & pool - Tai Chi, water polo, aqua fitness etc. We didn't bother much with the activities or the entertainment- we went for the sun and surf and were not disappointed.

The internet-$2 American for 15 minutes- was antiquated.

A great spot for birdwatchers-lots of woodpeckers and warblers at the resort- and I saw an owl early one morning when walking into the town of Luperon. I highly recommend going into the town- 20-25 minute walk, or a $4 cab ride. No hassles from the locals, and worth seeing how they live.

Make sure to get the security guards a Pepsi and a few (free) cigarettes from the bar- they appreciate it. We left $1 Am. for the maid every morning, and tipped the bartenders & waiters a $1 now and then as well- always appreciated.

I can see how some people might be put off by the 1 1/2 hr bus ride to and from the airport- but look at it as a way of seeing the countryside.

We left at 6:45 a.m. on the last day- no breakfast available until 7 a.m. and the promised cold-breakfast did not materialize.

In general the staff was accomodating, maybe not as pleasant as in Cuba.

Please don't believe the negative reviews. This is a great place. A few counter thoughts to some of the reviews:
* the taxi ride to the resort is long and drivers are nuts but it was fascinating. We never felt in danger and we were well introduced to the towns on the coast.
* Yes, the beach is rocky. Wear water shoes and you'll have no problem. It's absolutely gorgeous and we played in the water all day.
* There are some problems with the rooms ie the toilet doesn't flush all the time. No big deal. The maid service was excellent, friendly and I never felt that my things weren't secure for a minute.
* Go to paradise island, try scuba diving, visit Luperon. The activities are wonderful.
* The shows are terrible and for that reason- a lot of fun. We laughed hard at the lip syncing Blues Brothers
*There was a tremendous choice at the buffet. Lots of meat- not so good for vegetarians but all very good.
* We had absolutely no problem with the Dominicans visiting the resort. They did not hoard food, they did not take any of the pool or beach loungers and they were always polite. We met a player who is playing in the minor leagues in the Angels organization. My boys threw some baseballs with him.

Our 2 week visit was from Dec 17 - Dec 31, 2006

We were a group of 6 for holidays during the Christmas season. Upon arrival we were to be in a 2 bedroom suite. It was under renovations and we were upgraded to 3 junior suites for the 6 of us. We all were overjoyed. We found all the staff helpful and friendly. After they get to know you the more social they are with you and remember what you are drinking!! The weather was hot and sunny with a cool ocean breeze in the background. We had 2 days of rain & thunderstorms within our 2 week visit. In this time never once did we have a power outage. I heard this was common and never had even one. Only 1 morning I woke up to no water. I had water shortly there after. We had no other shortage of water.

The food was good but not flavourful like we are used too. I went with an open mind and set out to have a great time. I totally did. I was sad after our 2 weeks came to an end. One thing I didn't like was you had to be up at 7am to get your name in for that evenings a la carte restaurant. First off: when on holidays who wants to be up by 7am to put your name in (especially if you were up until 2am dancing at the disco) and Second: a couple time we put our name in at 7:10 am and the a la carte's were already booked full. One morning a member of our group was waiting in line at 6:30am along with 30 others! So that kind of sucked.

The 3 pool area's are good and clean but they could use more lounges around the pool. One pool has a waterfall with a swim up bar, another basic pool in the main common area then a 3rd pool in the lower grounds area. This is where most of the days activities happen with water sports and games. I enjoyed the 3rd pool area as there was more action and music playing during the day. The beach area is quite large and there is lots of space to lay around. Some parts have some rocky area's. But overall the ocean & beach area are good.

The entertainment staff was excellent. They all are fantastic dancers and it was amazing to watch them. The first few times they ask you to dance with them was nerve racking, but after a few days of dancing with them it was so much fun. Definitely by the end of the first week they knew you by name and with us being there for 2 weeks all the more they asked you to dance, they would visit & sit with you and get you to participate in the evening shows. My favourite entertainment staff members were Felix, Lorenzo, Ishmael and Kenya. If you want to do some good dancing with a great partner find Felix or Ishmael!! Every evening from 11pm - 2am the entertainment staff would be at the disco. They would be there dancing with everyone. It was the best part of my trip. The disco should have a minimum age limit of 16 years and older. We did see kids as young as 10 -12 years old inside wondering around - a place they should not be. The dancing is in good fun but it is very adult dancing. If you happen to be a single female (such as I) you will love the guys!

I would recommend this resort if you are wanting fun, relaxation and a casual standard hotel. If you want to be pampered and be in the luxury of high class -this hotel isn't for you. Overall, had tons of fun and have great memories of it.

We enjoyed our 7 night stay (dec 25-jan1 06) at this hotel. I was expecting something very basic and maybe some problems( based on different web site reviews and forums). We were very pleased with everything.

I went to this resort the beginning of october and wow what a place to stay. The people are so friendly and happy. We were there for 2 weeks and it was an amazing vacation, the weather was great and the resort had everything we wanted.

Almost as soon as we arrived we had made friends with the bar staff and the entertaintment team, they all work so hard.The best ones are Felix, Lorenzo, and Ricardo. Oh my god Ismael what a dancer. The resort photographer was a lovelly guy to, once you take the chance to get to know him, very talented.

I recently stayed at the Luperon Beach resort in Puerto Plata. After the 1 1/2 drive to the hotel check-in went quickly. Then the problems began. If you go with Go Travel Direct and get stuck in building 23, buy lots of water to shower. Not an isolated incident. 4 out of the 7 days we barely had enough water to wash our faces. It was pretty bad having to plan your vacation around having a shower versus enjoying the sun. Don't look for help from the front desk staff or Christian from GTD, they got my money and that is their only concern. To top off the week, we were over run with locals on the resort for the weekend. I do not have a problem with a full resort , paying customers, and having to wait in line but when people just but in line and show little or no respect, I draw the line there.

First trip to Luperon, but our 3th in D.R.

It was above our expectations; the food was not different from what we've had in 4* resorts, the complex have 4 pools (so there's always a quiet place), you can easily find a chair and a shady location at the beach at any time, and (something important for us) snorkelling (not the best but ...) is possible from the beach in front of the hotel. The room? No bugs, so OK. The beach? Not much place to swim (1/10), but when there's 4 pools ...

The complex is rather old and would need some repairs (specially plumbing in building 23). However, on the bright side it has a funny design, very different from those new rectangular resorts, with paths "curving" (sorry I'm french speaking) through the resort. There are some vendors at the beach, but they are respectful. Most of the evening action (19:00 to 21:00) is at the main bar at the entry of Luperon Beach, and then there's the evening show at one end of the resort, near from where the disco and casino are located (so if you want to, you can go to bed early).

Be aware that they offer a snorkelling expedition (rather disappointing according to all and specialy for those who wanted to see fish) combined with a visit to a dominican village ($49 US), but there's no toilets on the catamaran ... (!)

Finally, as the resort is located 90 minutes away from Puerto Plata and most of the employees are from Luperon, you may feel for once that you're also helping a community. By the way, you can walk 15 minutes to the village.

We booked our trip with NOLITOURS, That was a mistake. The Nolitour briefing rep never showed up at the scheduled time, after waiting an hour we tried again the next day, The Nolitour rep the next day told us he would not be back to the hotel again during our 2 week stay. He told us if we wanted a catamaran cruise just to go to the marina & pay the captain. We did go to the marina, at the scheduled time, there was no catamaran or captain to be found at the marina that he told us to go to. Again, another wasted hour of our paid vacation. Nolitour is in charge of Chartering the airline which was Canjet for this trip. Again we made a mistake choosing NOLITOUR as Canjet does not supply free movies. The Canjet office told me prior to our flight we would have to pay $10. per person to rent equipment each direction if we wanted to see a movie. For 2 persons travelling that would be $40. Booking this trip with NOLITOUR was a complete mistake. I don't know of an airline that goes to the Caribbean that does not offer free movies except Canjet. I personally will NEVER book another trip with Nolitour again for the above reasons.

The hotel is ok. The rooms are clean however in our room the water pressure out of the showerhead was only a dribble. The food is good with a good variety. The a la carte restaurants were ok.

The beach is long however there is only a very small sandy area to access the swimming area(beach rating 1 star). Snorkelling is ok, except the reef is dead & with few fish. Scuba diving at the hotel is very expensive so we did not scuba dive.

Entertainment I would rate as 3 star.

There are 4 pools of which 2 have swim up bars but no bartenders at the swim up bars.

Transportation to & from airport is ok except it's 1 1/2 hr drive.

Well we just returned from our vacation at Luperon Beach Resort on Monday.

We went from Feb 27-March 6. We really loved it there. It was clean , the people were very friendly and helpful and the animation team was very entertaining. The bartenders were also very good and made our drinks the way we wanted them. I read a review of someone saying the drinks were wasted because there was too much alcohol but we were warned of this beforehand and just politely asked the bartenders each time to just put a little alcohol.

They were very understanding and gladly obliged and alot of times showed us exactly how they were making the drinks. We tried pretty much all of them..lol The Banana Mamas we loved the most though and the Pina Coladas are really good too although we were also warned by friends and our representative not to drink too many since Coconut oil is a natural laxative....:-O The pools were great. I loved the one with the water falls which was part of the next resort for pictures. This one was nice for taking pictures and relaxing in quiet but wasn't much activity around it so we spent most of our time at the main activity pool next to our building. The activities were ongoing or we could just relax in the pool and watch. There was a swim up bar there also, and the casino, disco and theatre were right next to it. I would recommend Buildings 17 (where we stayed) and 18 I assume is the one overlooking the pool, if you want to be close to all these activities. But if you like the quiet it's better to stay on the other side of the resort because we enjoyed sitting on our balconies at night when the disco and theatre we going on and listening to the music when we were too tired to go out. But if you wanted quiet, you probably wouldn't appreciate that.

The rooms were nice and clean. The beds were VERY uncomfortable though. Very firm..That was our only complaint about the room. The maids were great at keeping everything tidy and clean. The balcony overlooked the garden so that was nice.

I liked the food which surprised me since alot of people said I wouldn't like the food there. The a la carte's were nice and so was the buffet. I really liked it at the restaurant how the staff kept coming around continually to refill your water or wine whatever you wanted. It was nice to not have to keep asking especially when I had the Mexican food which was a little TOO spicy for me and I like spicy food..:-) Brazilian was my favourite a la carte because I loved the different types of meat they gave us.

The beach was nice. It wasn't the best for swimming I didn't think because it wasn't really calm. It was okay but the waves kept washing you back and forth and I don't like seaweed...I liked the sandy parts. I'm not much of a salt water person anyways. I liked the quieter part of the beach not the main part where the boats were and the vendors. I just liked to lie down and relax there.

I would definitely recommend booking a Catamaran trip through Petra (? I think that's her name)at the booking desk near the main buffet restaurant. It was the most fun I think of our whole trip! Make sure to ask if Raphael is your operator on the boat because he was hilarious! Our other guides were great too but he was very entertaining and helpful.

Just back from our stay at Luperon Beach Resort, Feb 20 to Feb 28th. The grounds of the resort are very beautiful and the pools are great. It was nice to be able to choose from 4. If one was really busy you could find another that was quieter. We had no trouble finding a chair or shade until the weekend came. The layout of the buildings is a little confusing. That may be because it is two resorts together.

On the weekend many locals stayed at the resort and while we had no problem with that, we felt that they were a little rude. They would butt in line at the buffet and bars as if they deserved priority service and would hold up service by talking to the servers. As for the food, it was okay. I am picky about what I eat but managed to find something each time….you can’t go wrong with chicken which was avail every night. I will say, however, that I had a very hard time finding a good alcoholic drink. They all pretty much tasted the same— just of alcohol—which lent itself to a lot of wasted drinks by many staying at the resort.

We felt we have to give our review of Luperon Beach after reading some of the adverse comments previously posted.

We have just visited the resort (22 July to 5 August 2005) and have had a fantastic time. The rooms, although basic were clean - our first room was very dark and after speaking to our Rep (who by the way was a fantastic lass called Claire from Thomas Cook) she had within approx 5 minutes two further rooms for us to choose from. The food was really good, quite varied and plentiful. The Animation Team - especially Felix, Jose and Will - were enthusiastic, friendly and tried their hardest to get everyone involved. The resort wasn't full, but the atmosphere was great - the locals who came in over the weekend came along to enjoy themselves - and they did! They were noisy, but not rowdy and if you made the effort to speak to them, they were very friendly. With the resort not being full, there were plenty of sun-beds, no queues for food, etc. We even had one of the pools to ourselves for most of one day! Although there were pool side swim-up bars, you could not get any service at them, but you could take your drinks in from the outside bar !!

We met some lovely people whilst we were there - Hi to Sue, Mike, Kris, Lee and Lauren - hope you're not missing us too much!

We went on the Columbus Discovery trip - Paradise Island was beautiful. We also went along to Ocean World, were we had a "Dolphin Encounter" and a "Shark Encounter" - two trips well worth doing.

If you are going, make sure you take enough sun cream, toiletries, etc as the shop on the complex is very expensive for these items.

We have just got back from Luperon Beach Resort and had a cracking time!

I just wanted to say how clean and tidy the complex was, how friendly the people were and how gorgeous the food was.

There was a group of 8 of us (4 adults, 2 teenagers and 2 kids) and we thought it was a cracking holiday.

Before we went, we had read all the reviews on this website and were really nervous about going, as people have talked about rats running around, syringes lying about, rude staff and unclean rooms amongst other things.

I don't know where these people went, because it definitely wasn't Luperon Beach! I've never heard anything like it.

We stayed at the Luperon Resort (there is just one resort now), March 12-19, 2005. I must admit that my wife and I were pretty impressed with the resort. My teenage daughter and her boyfriend enjoyed themselves as well. The food was overall very good (7 out of 10 – varies). The resort food manager tried his best to ensure that the food varied from day to day. There was always a variety of food and one would never go hungry. He fresh fruit and fruit smoothies were delicious. We ate at two of the resorts restaurants (Italian and Spanish). The food was great if you like pasta and seafood. The wines were very tasty. The staff go out of their way to please you so be prepared to give a small tip ($5 US). There is a dress code and you have to book the morning before at the Al a carte buffet. The bars were always well stocked. The pools were very clean and there were plenty of loungers. The beach is excellent. The volleyball matches were grueling in the heat but they were fun. There are various gift shops along the beach and the vendors are good about bartering. They take US or PESOs. Remember that you cash US into PESO but you cannot exchange it back so exchange what you need. My wife went on a shopping trip to Peurta Plata. It was nice she said. They visited a rum factory (Brugal). They also visited a fortress and some other sites. We went on a Paradise Island Tour. This included a 25 min bus ride to the boat launch then a 25 minute boat ride to the Island which is about 300 metres by 100 metres wide. The sand was white and the snorkeling is amongst the best in the word. I fed probably about 200 or more tropical fish bread out of my hand and the coral was breathtaking. Buy an underwater cameral before hand. We spend 3 hours on the Island and had a great time. We returned through some Mangrove trees and then landed onshore at a small restaurant and had a local meal followed by a bus tour of parts of the Island. It was awesome. The trip cost $75 US each and was well worth it. Some others went on the outback safari and the catamaran and enjoyed it.

As for the resort, the rooms are clean. We tipped the maids and brought them some small gifts. Our AC worked good and the fridge. We were close to the beach and the pools. We went to highly entertainment. It was fun. We did not hear much noise at night. We played cards, volleyball, swam, tanned, read, and just enjoyed the heat. The weather ranged from 30-35 C all week and we had no rain. By the way, they have numerous shops at the resort and medical staff and hair braiders. The staff go out of their way to help you.

I read many negative reviews and I really cannot say that I have any negative things to say. It was our first trip to Dominican and I would go back tomorrow. We booked through GO TRAVEL DIRECT and their representative Juan Morales did an excellent job. He met us when we arrived, he attended the tours with us and he took us back to the airport. He speaks Spanish and can provide sound advise. By the way there were no mosquitoes (we did not see any), no sand flies and no bed bugs. The TV worked well and we got about 8 English stations.

The price was right and you have to go to make your own judgment. I personally believe that a trip is what you make of it. I think that 14 days would be too long but that is just me. There were lots of teen and families at the resort. Lots of Canadians, Germans, Spaniards, and English.

I travelled to luperon from march 7-15 through world of vacations as a group of 6 university students . flight was good and airport was quick we got out and had a shuttle van to the resort. it's a fairly long drive and yes the driving there is different but hey you're in a different country of course things are different. We got there and the room was fine the mini fridge died after a couple days but we just kept the water in the room..the a/c worked so well it kept everything nice and cool. the weather was beautiful when we were there. I spent most of my time near the activity pool and it was clean. the animation team was amazing and did a great job of getting people involved. yeh they did sometimes come on strong to the girls but once again more to do with culture then anything and they did know how to take no for an answer.

Carlos seemed to be the head of the group and he was great with talking to everyone. He came and ate lunch with us one day, they're all so friendly.We went horseback riding which was amazing going down along the beach, helps see some amazing scenery. the food was really good..i'm a picky eater and i found something i liked everytime, i guarantee there will be something you will like at every meal that will make sure you stay full.

Good resort for the price

We were at Luperon Beach Resort from Januray 22nd until January 29th and overall we had a nice week at this resort.

We booked with Go Travel Direct at a very good price, 829$CAN each! It was my first experience with Go Travel Direct and at this price I was thinking that low price equal low service and that once there we will be left on our own for the week. I was wrong! The service on their airline company (Zoom Airline) was perfect, hot meal, wine, 3 movies! Better than the Air Transat sandwich... Once at the Puerto Plata airport their rep Christian take us in charge all the way to the resort, 1h30 of bus ride, and he give us a small (and funny) base course on the Dominican Republic. The bus ride was like an excursion, very fun. Then at the resort we were not satisfied with the location of our room and Christian arrange this with the manager within minutes. He was available all the week and was very fun to talk to, definitely a very good rep!

The room was basic and clean and everything (a/c, tv, etc) worked. The site of the resort is large and very nice! Many places to walk, sit and get a drink. Nice pools (4), some quiet and some more noisy. The beach (sand part) was nice and large, but the sea part was not that nice because it is rocky in the middle with sea urchins. We always stayed at the right side of the beach where it was safe to swim but if you like (like us) to take long walk along the beach the feets in the water, forget it, it is impossible there. The rocky beach is the bigest negative part, but for those who only swim in the pools you are at the right place with their 4 pools!

The buffet restaurant is ok, but after 3-4 days the food is boring because it's always the same, and some plates were not enough warm. But don't worry, you will always find something to eat. We didn't try the A la carte restaurants, the sitting time were too early (6h30PM) or too late (9h00PM), but we ear nice comments about them, except for the Mexican.

The staff were nice and friendly. The beach vendors were not too disturbing and were friendly when you talk to them. A little Holà always brings a smile! There was a local music band which played each night between 8h30PM and 10h00PM in the central place, very nice and fun. We always relax there after supper with a good Cappucino, then at 10h00PM we headed toward the night show, which was only ok, not much. Then we came back to our room by the boardwalk along the sea under a full moon, very nice!

Tropical Luperon/Luperon Beach Resort - All one complex referred to as the Luperon Beach Resort

8 of us have just had a lovely two week holiday here, 4 adults and 4 teenagers. We were extremely worried after reading the internet reviews but after arriving, realise these problems occur mainly when the complex is fully occupied with nearly 1,500 visitors as was the case over Christmas, coupled with bad weather. We were lucky with a 500/600 occupancy rate which was just right - no queues for food, lots of sunloungers and towels, no plumbing problems, warm sunny weather.

The beach is wonderful, sandy with lots of palm trees and shelters. There are flat rocks in the sea along a lot of the beach (with some sea urchins) but at one end, there is a safe sandy swimming area by the watersports centre. Everything advertised was available but you have to ask as they do not promote themselves. Lessons on equipment are 10am daily. Put your name down in the morning if you want to join in the banana boat ride in the afternoon. The swimming pools are gorgeous, clean and sparkling. Staff swept and tidied the beach daily and cleanliness was never a problem in either the rooms or public areas.

The food was okay and plenty of it. The staff were friendly and welcoming. The animation team worked long and hard to make sure everyone had a good holiday, young and old. The evening entertainment is weak but there is a lively disco 10.30pm - 2.00pm.

A local marina is easily accessible over the hill from the resort where you can enjoy excellent and very inexpensive food if you fancy a change. Chat to the locals regarding trips as the hotel reps are expensive and these can usually be enjoyed for half the price if you ask around.

We had a great time, very relaxing but do consider ourselves lucky that the resort was not full. Check out which are the busy times of the year if you can. As I understand it, Luperon Beach is always full over Christmas and New Year which does not give the management any flexibility to let you change rooms. We were initially shown rooms at the back of the resort, next to the generators with inadequate ACs. We went straight back to reception, pointed this out nicely, and were immediately given 4 super rooms down in one of the beachfront blocks with sea views and peace and quiet. I would suggest not waiting until you see your rep the next day, If you are not happy, get it sorted on arrival, no matter how tired you are!